RHODES SCHOLARS

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20729, 14 December 1932, Page 7

RHODES SCHOLARS

THE QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY. REASONS WHY NONE WAS SELECTED. TJio reasons for the non-appointment of any Ehodes Scholars this year are set out in a statement issued by the Committee of Selection for New Zealand, and approved by the chairman of the committee, Lord Bledisloe. "The announcement of the decision of the Selection Committee to appoint no Ehodes Scholar for 1933, naturally icalls for some amount of explanation/' the statement reads. "To state as an obvious reason that the general all-round standard of attainment, as contemplated by the founder of the Trust, of the latest nominees was deemed inadequate may not appear sufficient justification; but in the main that was the opinion of the committee, and it was forcibly urged by some of its members. Instructions to Committee. "It must be borne in mind that the Ehodes Trust regards as of very considerable importance the appearance of the candidates in person before the Committee, for its instructions contain the following: 'Committees need summon to a personal interview only such of the candidates as they choose; but, save m exceptional circumstances, no candidate may be appointed to a Scholarship without such an interview.' "Another important point is that this interview affords a better opporunity than am' other means for ascertaining from the candidates the ambitious and aims they have before them in view of their candidature and whether these include a genuine desire to do work now or hereafter, of delimte advantage to their country or to the Empire. Intellect and Personality. "Further, the Trustees have expressed the hope that, in the absence of strong

candidates, the Committees will make no selection. In the 1932 memorandum received from the Trustees appears the following: 'Distinction of intellect and personality is the primary qualification for a Rhodes Scholar, and upon that Committees should insist. A Rhodes Scholarship is an exceptional opportunity for the man who is prepared to take advanatge of it; but it is only for the exceptional man.' "After the interview with the individual candidates, it was the considered opinion of the Committee that there was no sufficiently strong candidato or one of such outstanding intellect and personality as to warrant an appointment. It remained to consider whether it was possible to select any of the candidates whose age would exceed the limit sot some years ago, but whose application might be attended by those j "exceptional eircumsances" mentioned ■ in the proviso. It was only after long j deliberation that the Committee re- j solved that it could not select any can- ; didate." .]